This invention relates to a method for fabricating the hub of a bicycle wheel, an apparatus for implementing the method and the bicycle wheel hub obtained by means of the said method.
The Applicant has recently conducted various studies and tests to make bicycle components, particularly bicycle wheel hubs, especially for spoke wheel competition bicycles, using structural fibre based material, typically carbon fibre based material. The advantage offered by this type of material is that of being lighter in weight with respect to the metallic materials used in the past given equal structural characteristics. Making a hub out of a single part of carbon fibre based material was difficult, at least utilising the technologies available at that time, due to the typical conformation of the bicycle wheel hub of the type described above. The hubs used in modern bicycle wheels present a complex cylindrical shape, with a central constant diameter section and two bell-shaped end sections with a wider diameter or other, even more complex, shapes. Additionally, it is desirable for the hub thickness to progressively increase from the central section towards the hub ends, so to ensure the necessary resistance characteristics in all areas of the hub, particularly on the ends, where the wheel spokes are anchored, while ensuring minimal weight at the same time.
The need of making a tubular body with the complex shapes described above has made it impossible to make the hub from a single part of structural fibre material, such as carbon fibre material.